Fall 1948 
Girl Scout uniform 

Background Mainbocher was asked to modernize the uniforms for the Girl Scouts of America, whose look had constantly changed and fragmented into disparate age categories over the previous 20 years. The designer sought to create a uniform that would instill dignity and unity in Scouts at all levels, from the intermediate girls up to the troop leaders. The resulting forest green heathered twill shirtdress—which would have been worn with a dark green web belt—was neat, streamlined, and in Mainbocher’s opinion, appropriate to the Scouts’ public visibility. Description Shirtdress; semi-fitted; below-knee length; notched button-down collar; long set-in sleeve, single-button band cuff; flared skirt; inset side panel of bodice shirred at chest and waist; green composition insignia buttons; shoulder yoke and side vents on back bodice; patch pockets with flap edge at left chest and hips. Garment structure A mass-produced rather than couture-finished garment, this semi-fitted, single-breasted shirtdress has machine-stitching at the hem, collar, and cuffs and raw, pinked seams. Gift of Caroline Rennolds Milbank, 2001.

REFERENCE 
01.38.1A-F 
TECHNICAL DETAILS 
Forest green heathered wool twill
Label: Girl Scouts / National Equipment / Service / New York City / Official
Bust measurement: 37”
Waist measurement: 28”
Center back length: 40”
ADDITIONAL IMAGES 
Spring 1949 
Cocktail dress 

Background Mainbocher excelled at creating flexible designs that could move fluidly from late afternoon to evening events for his socially active clients. This glen plaid silk, shot with metallic threads, was perfect for the cocktail hour and would shimmer like powdered gold in the soft evening light of a theater, café, or club. Description Stylized shirtwaist dress; below-knee length; sleeveless bias-cut bodice; round neck; extended shoulder; mock center front closure with small self-covered buttons; flared bias-cut skirt; rear wrap closure, self-covered buttons at left hip; attached narrow bias belt; bias trim bands at center front bodice, princess waist seams, neck, and armholes; unlined; white grosgrain waist tape. Garment structure The shoulder line is slightly extended to create a small cap sleeve. The bodice is trimmed with bias bands at the neck edge and the armholes. Additional vertical bias-strips are applied to the bodice and skirt with an attached bias belt at the waist. The skirt has a wrap closure that fastens on the left hip with button loops and self-covered buttons. Worn by donor. Gift of Miss Isabel Shults, 1973.

REFERENCE 
73.144.3 
TECHNICAL DETAILS 
Glen plaid silk shot with black and gold metallic
Label: Mainbocher Inc.
Bust measurement: 38”
Waist measurement: 29”
Center back length: 45” 
1949 
Ensemble 

Background Mainbocher drew inspiration from East Indian clothes, colors, and textiles for his Spring 1949 collection, lacing it with golden appliqués and dangling ornaments. He intermixed Western motifs with ones of sari origin: this black silk evening dress and jacket feature both Indian-derived palmettes and tropical palm trees embroidered in bugle beads and sequins. Description Dress: Lightly fitted; mid-calf length; sleeveless; scoop neck front and back; full, flared skirt, bias cut; attached self belt, ¾" wide; beaded at neck, hem, and scattered on skirt; Left side zipper; skirt lined in black faille. Jacket: Loosely fitted; waist-length; deeply notched lapel; short sleeve with turn-up cuff; beaded palmettes on lapels; lined in black silk crepe. Garment structure The dress bodice is unlined. The full skirt is flared to avoid bulk near the waist while maintaining fullness at the hem. Beaded palmettes on the jacket lapels are repeated on the skirt. Worn by donor. Gift of Miss Isabel Shults, 1973.

REFERENCE 
73.144.1A-B 
TECHNICAL DETAILS 
Black silk woven basket weave pattern; applied gold and pink beads and sequins in floral, palmette, and palm tree motifs
Label: Mainbocher Inc.
Dress:
Bust measurement: 39”
Waist measurement: 31”
Center back length: 39”
Jacket:
Center back length: 18 ½” 
ADDITIONAL IMAGES 
Spring 1950 
Evening dress 

Background In his “collection for individuals” in the spring of 1950, Mainbocher offered his popular short evening dresses in different styles and fabrics as alternatives to full-length gowns. By layering a swag of drapery diagonally from shoulder to hem and adding a touch of bright blue tatted lace, his design elevates this blue-and-white gingham evening dress to a unexpected level of sophistication while maintaining its freshness. Description Dress: Mid-calf length; sleeveless bodice; low square neck front and back; wide shoulder strap; diagonally draped panel from front right shoulder, tucked at waist and draped asymmetrically over front skirt; narrow bias self belt at front; flared skirt, two box pleats at center back; band of lace around back to above left bust level; right side underarm zipper; back of bodice lined in white cotton batiste. Belt: Royal blue leather; ½" wide, covered D-shaped buckle. Garment structure The bias front panel of this dramatically asymmetrical design is formed and draped from a single length of fabric. Deceptively simple in appearance, it is virtuosic in the complexity of its construction. The front panel is held by a fitted demi-bodice. It falls from the right shoulder to waist-level, then is tucked and draped over the skirt front. It is seamed at either side to the flaring skirt back, which is comprised of two bias panels joined by a center back mitered seam. Made for donor. Gift of Miss Isabel Shults, 1958.

REFERENCE 
58.123.6A-B 
TECHNICAL DETAILS 
Blue-and-white checked gingham; royal blue tatted lace in scallop pattern
Label: Mainbocher, Inc.
Bust: 39”
Waist: 31”
Center back length: 45½”
1950-51 
Evening ensemble 

Background Mainbocher reiterates his love of historicism by blending distinctive elements from multiple centuries. This evening dress is made from an 18th-century style Indienne (a Western version of Indian printed textiles) in a silk paisley print. Its front suggests the format of an 18th-century bodice with stomacher and bows while the cluster of deep pleats at back evokes the cascade of a late 17th-century skirt train. The fur band at the hem of the coordinating bolero adds a sumptuous counterpoint. Description Dress: Fitted stomacher bodice; square neck with wide straps, round back neck; natural waist, lower in back; full skirt, grouped knife pleats; curved back hip yoke with four standaway pleats; two self bows on bodice front, curved bottom of stomacher extends below waist seam; left side zipper closure; lined in cream silk Bolero: Above-waist length; rounded falling collar; elbow-length sleeves with split turn-back cuff; 3" wide fur border at hem; single covered button at neck; lined in cream silk faille. Garment structure The dress has a draped, fitted bodice. A single center front panel continues, unseamed, to extend below the waist as a free-floating lunette that is trimmed with two large, soft self-fabric bows. Knife pleats either side of center front control and restrict the skirt fullness. The curved back hip yoke dips to just below the base of spine where it is joined to a panel with four large standaway pleats, which extends to form a slight train. The dress is lined with silk taffeta and all seams and hems are overcast by hand. The grosgrain waist stay and zipper are hand-sewn. The short bolero jacket has a rounded turn collar and fastens at the neck with a covered button and button loop. The elbow-length sleeves are finished with split turn-back cuffs. Gift of Mr. Robert Winthrop, 1986.

REFERENCE 
86.60.14A-B 
TECHNICAL DETAILS 
Cream silk with taupe, gold, and off-white paisley print; russet colored ranch mink
Dress:
Bust measurement: 38½”
Waist measurement: 28”
Center back length: 51”
Jacket:
Center back length: 15½” 
ADDITIONAL IMAGES 
1950-52 
Day ensemble 

Background The subtle Tyrolean folk influence of this day dress and jacket was a nod to the Viennese heritage of Tilly Losch, the Austrian dancer-choreographer for whom it was made. The jacket features a fitted, slightly dropped waistline. Description Jacket: Tyrolean style; fitted, double-breasted; slightly below waist length; round collar; long narrow sleeve; shaped appliqué at top of center front panel, repeated at bottom; grey composition buttons; black-and-cream checked cotton lining. Dress: Below-knee length; high, curved V-neck with self border; cap sleeve; straight yoke with bias band edging; bias band at slightly gathered waist; flared skirt; on-seam pockets at front princess seams, partly concealed by waist tucks; center back zipper. Garment structure The jacket features two shaped appliqués on the top and bottom of the center front panel. Working thread-finished buttonholes contribute to the symmetry of the jacket. It has a round collar which meets at center front and is lined in gingham. Belonged to Miss Losch. Gift of the Estate of Tilly Losch, Lady Carnarvon, 1976.

REFERENCE 
76.39.2A-B 
TECHNICAL DETAILS 
Black and grey slubbed silk
Label: Mainbocher Inc.
Dress:
Bust measurement: 36½”
Waist measurement: 30”
Center back length: 42”
Jacket:
Center back length: 20”
ADDITIONAL IMAGES 
Fall 1951 
Jacket 

Background Mainbocher showed a strong group of coats and jackets in his Fall 1951 collection. This fitted, opulent but low-key jacket executed in black broadtail molds to the body with a soft flare at the waist. Description Fitted, four-button single-breasted; hip-length; open, notched wide collar; long cut-in-one sleeves with slashed turn-back cuffs; collar and cuffs trimmed with braid; cord-work buttons; lined in black satin; concealed side-entry pocket at right front edge of lining. (Photographed over 73.144.1A.) Gift of Mr. Robert Winthrop, 1986.

REFERENCE 
86.60.32A 
TECHNICAL DETAILS 
Black Russian broadtail; black satin; black silk woven braid
Label: Mainbocher Inc. (jacket)
Bust measurement: 36½”
Center back length: 23”